Press release
Québec adopts regulation to make it easier to exploit temporary foreign workers

26 February 2025

This government has completely lost its mind

Montreal, February 26, 2025 – The Quebec Federation of Labour (QFL) is in utter disbelief at this government’s actions. Behind closed doors—and, frankly, hypocritically—Quebec announced this morning in the Gazette officielle that it is amending a regulation that previously barred employers convicted of discrimination, labor law violations, or failure to comply with employment conditions from hiring temporary foreign workers. While the ban previously lasted two years, it will now be reduced to just six months.

“This is a complete scandal. Immigration Minister Jean-François Roberge and the CAQ government are giving rogue employers a free pass by removing a key incentive to respect workers and the laws that protect them. Temporary foreign workers with tied work permits are not livestock,” says QFL General Secretary Denis Bolduc.

“Everyone knows that foreign workers on tied work permits are not only vulnerable to abuse, but they are in fact being abused. This reality has been denounced by the United Nations rapporteur, who described their situation as a ‘fertile ground for modern slavery’—nothing less. Amnesty International recently echoed the same findings. And what does this government do? It sides with delinquent employers, telling them: ‘Go ahead, exploit workers—no problem, you can just hire more.’ It’s disgraceful and insulting,” adds the General Secretary.

What private interests is Minister Roberge serving by amending this regulation? Which employers pressured him into making this change? By reducing the ban period from two years to six months, the government is sending a clear message: employers who break the law have little to fear.

“Instead of forcing employers to comply with laws and regulations, this government is throwing the doors wide open to abuse. Worse still, this change comes without any consultation with workers, even though a public consultation on immigration planning had been scheduled for the spring. The CAQ government isn’t just showing favoritism toward employers—it is flaunting it shamelessly. Enough is enough.

The QFL demands the immediate repeal of this outrageous regulatory change and calls for a proper consultation to fully expose the realities faced by temporary foreign workers on tied permits. This is what tied permits do: they pave the way for exploitation. That’s why we are calling for their complete abolition,” concludes Denis Bolduc.

The QFL, Quebec’s largest labour federation, represents over 600,000 workers.

Translated into English by SEU 800 from the original French-language press release issued by the QFL.